A friend asks a worthwhile question.
“Can we communicate with the kids at the Home of Hope and get updates? Also, is there any way to follow those who have graduated and moved on? It would be interesting to know what they have done, how life has gone for them once they left the safe house.”
Sadly, the short answer is, “No.”
In the early years of the Freedom Tour, we communicated directly with the folks who operate the Home of Hope. We received regular updates and sent information about what we were doing. We even received pictures of the kids and knew many of their names.
The political climate has changed, and traffickers have become more aggressive and sophisticated. As a result, security has become a big deal. Absolutely nothing can be done on the Internet or via email that might reveal details about our kids, their location, or even their families. At one time we talked about the specific city in which our kids live. Now we simply say, “South Asia.”
Our team DOES receive detailed updates from Project Rescue staff who visit the home frequently. The kids and staff know about the Freedom Tour and what we are doing.
We’ve seen remarkable video testimonials from graduates, powerful confirmation of the impact Jesus has had in the lives of young people once destined for sexual slavery. Unfortunately, because of the security concerns noted above, those videos must be closely held.
What we can, and do, share are general details and sanitized photos that protect the kids’ identities. My friend’s question got me thinking about how much easier it would be to support kids we could visit and communicate with. Following Jesus isn’t supposed to be easy.
Somehow, I think he would celebrate the notion of a community faithfully surrounding a group of kids for 15 years – kids we will never meet.